In the following days, Ace noticed that Bellsprout was somewhat like Ash's Charizard in the anime.
Though it wouldn't attack Ace, it completely ignored his requests and commands, effectively listening only to its own whims.
The five hundred gold coins Ace had just earned from completing the previous quest were immediately invested into the system store.
Two training manuals for Bellsprout and Victreebel appeared in Ace's backpack.
During lunch, Ace munched on dry rations while quickly flipping through Bellsprout's training manual.
"Wild Bellsprout feed on bug-type Pokémon. They use their vines to swiftly capture nearby prey and can absorb water by rooting themselves in the soil..."
As he read the manual, Ace observed Bellsprout.
The manual mentioned that because Bellsprout needed to hunt bug-type Pokémon, the corrosive strength of its Acid attack was generally very high. Like Zubat's Supersonic, it was a core move.
Therefore, when training Bellsprout, besides essential Pokémon food, it was best to occasionally supplement its diet with protein.
As for custom-made Energy Cubes for Bellsprout, they also needed to have a certain protein ratio to ensure proper absorption by Bellsprout's body.
Lunch lasted an hour. Ace ate while reading the manual, completing his daily tasks, and gaining some insight into Bellsprout's training.
He quickly walked over to Bellsprout's side, squatted down, and faced it directly.
Bellsprout frowned at the guy before it, but before it could react, Ace pried open its mouth and brought his nose close, sniffing carefully.
Slap!
Ace's actions immediately enraged Bellsprout. Its leaf-like appendage slapped Ace directly across the face, then Bellsprout huffed and walked off to the side.
"Not much force, its physique is indeed weak."
Ace rubbed his face, thoughtfully saying, "Bellsprout's final evolution, Victreebel, attracts prey with its sweet scent. So, if Bellsprout masters this trait early, it could enhance the strength of its Acid attack in its Victreebel form, significantly boosting its potency."
He thought silently, formulating a framework for future training.
"But to get Bellsprout to obey, I need to raise its Friendship first."
Ace sighed helplessly and opened the system store again.
"Soothe Bell: Price 1000 gold coins."
He didn't hesitate to purchase the Soothe Bell. Soon, a silvery-white bell, which produced a comforting chime with every shake, appeared in Ace's backpack.
"But this thing isn't easy to attach."
Ace picked up the white string threaded through the bell and looked at Bellsprout's slender body. He then decided to try whatever he could.
Three minutes later, after Bellsprout had whipped Ace away with a vine, Ace successfully managed to tightly wrap the Soothe Bell's string around Bellsprout's neck-like area.
He wrapped it dozens of times back and forth, then tied a tight knot, barely preventing the Soothe Bell from falling off Bellsprout.
Bellsprout stared helplessly at the bell hanging on its body, somewhat confused about what this guy who caught it was trying to do.
The Soothe Bell, accompanied by Bellsprout's movements, produced clear chimes, soothing Bellsprout's tense nerves. Bellsprout gradually lost its aversion to the bell, and even started to like it.
As for Ace, he rubbed the stinging spot where he'd been whipped, then looked at Bellsprout's Friendship increasing slightly, and nodded with a smile.
Although the effect wasn't huge, with gradual adjustment, Bellsprout would eventually obey his commands.
After lunch, Ace continued deeper into the forest with Zubat and Bellsprout.
As they walked, Bellsprout observed Zubat and Ace's teamwork and their unspoken understanding, an inexplicable feeling of annoyance rising within it.
Why didn't it get commanded to battle?
As soon as this thought emerged, even Bellsprout itself was startled. How could it have such a thought?
Meanwhile, Ace looked at Bellsprout's status panel. Its Friendship was rapidly increasing at a rate of one point every two minutes. He silently praised the system.
"System-made, always excellent."
This saying wasn't idle chatter; the items purchased from the system were far stronger than Ace had imagined.
As dusk gradually fell, Ace, who had ventured deep into the forest, could only find a tall tree to climb.
Having entered the depths, Ace clearly couldn't return to the forest's outer edge.
So, he could only find a high spot nearby and pray that there weren't any large bird Pokémon flocks in the vicinity.
Watching Zubat land on a branch and Bellsprout climb up using its vines, Ace took out two Beginner Energy Cubes and offered them. "Conditions are tough, but let's sleep here tonight."
Zubat eagerly bit its energy cube. While Pokémon food tasted good, it was mostly about quantity and satiety.
Energy Cubes, however, were like exquisite desserts. Though they didn't fill you up, they were delicious and provided enough energy, like a special treat.
Bellsprout hesitantly extended a leaf, took the Energy Cube, and carefully put it into its mouth.
Its Acid quickly broke down the Energy Cube, turning it into energy that Bellsprout could absorb.
With just one Energy Cube, Bellsprout could clearly feel its body becoming slightly tougher.
Looking at Ace with some surprise, Bellsprout's perception of Ace was steadily improving.
After feeding them the Beginner Energy Cubes, Ace gave them a few more Pokémon food pellets to fill their stomachs.
As for himself...
Just plain bread and half a bottle of water.
It was simple, but in the wilderness, especially deep inside a forest, it was best not to start a fire if possible.
Firelight could dispel darkness, cook food, and drive away wild animals.
But that was the case in Ace's past life.
In this world, lighting a bonfire at night, unless on the forest's edge, was dangerous. Firstly, it could easily cause a forest fire. Secondly, not all wild Pokémon were afraid of fire, and if they were discovered or attacked, it would be truly perilous.
Bellsprout watched Ace eat the bread in a few bites, gagging and rolling its eyes, only managing to breathe properly after drinking half a bottle of water. It felt a subtle sense of discomfort.
As Ace fell asleep, Zubat stood guard as usual. Seeing this, Bellsprout cautiously used its vines to quickly drop to the ground without making a sound, then scurried into the trees.
Zubat, with its keen hearing, heard the faint chime of the Soothe Bell as Bellsprout ran off. It swept the area with Supersonic and suddenly froze.
Bellsprout, ran away?!
Zubat quickly flew to Ace's face, flapping its wings to wake the sleeping Ace.
Ace, startled by Zubat's commotion, immediately became alert. Then he realized.
Bellsprout was gone!